A great variety of wire or woven articles such as art baskets, decorative containers and plant holders are known in the art. Such articles have many uses including holding fruit, flowers, potted plants or the like. Some may be constructed of metal or wire for use indoors and outdoors in harsher environments. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 1,719,583 discloses a wire article capable of being twisted, folded, collapsed or extended into a multiplicity of shapes and forms. The wire article is comprised of a plurality of wire members interconnected by hooks disposed on the ends of wires and wire links so that various sections of the article may be articulated about the hooks and wire links to assume different configurations. The hooks of the '583 patent are engageable with wires and secured there over as shown in the figures. Also disclosed is a plurality of concentric loops, which extend outwardly to form the base of the article and serve as supports for the article.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,967,360 discloses an adjustable wire basket having a base section and a continuous, circumferential wall section connected to the base. The basket may rest on a surface or be suspended in a hanging arrangement. The wall section is comprised of a plurality of intertwined, frictionally engaged wire loops, each of which are connected to the base section in a hinged yet friction engagement. As such, the frictional engagement of the intertwined loops and the hinges operate together to permit the wall section to be articulated about the base in any desired angular relationship. In this manner, the wall section defines an inner volume that varies, as the angular relationship is change.
A folding basket is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,267,664 having pivotable sides allowing the basket to attain and sustain a number of configurations. A platform is secured within the basket near its base to provide a foundation for the basket and support any articles that may be carried by the basket. The pivotable sides are constituted by arcs and may be articulated so the basket may assume different positions. The sides are ostensibly held in a position by bindings that create friction between two articulating arcs. The arcs are supported at their ends by being hooked around a rim defining an outside edge of the basket.
From the foregoing, it can be seen that the prior art is replete with a wide variety of baskets or containers used for holding plants, flowers, fruit, and ornamental or decorative structures, as well as a range of other objects, as desired by the user. Such baskets or containers are frequently constructed from wire and may or may not be collapsible. The '360 invention folds to a flat arrangement and relies on the frictional engagement of intertwined loops to sustain its shape when in use. While this configuration provides ample support for holding certain objects, the frictional engagement may not provide sufficient resistance for heavier objects. Also, the resilient wires of the '360 invention may fatigue over time resulting from frequent movement of the intertwined loops from one position to another, which may lead to a degradation in the basket's ability to retain its shape for holding certain objects.
Many prior art baskets or containers constructed of wire use hooks on the end of wire members that engage other wire members of the construction primarily to provide means for articulating one member around the other. For example, the '583 and '664 patents disclose various configurations of hooks or loops that engage other wire members so that the baskets may assume various shapes by articulating certain members around others. Once engaged, the hooks or loops are secured over another member to provide a hinge means that does not easily become disengaged. Some of the hinge means also sever as load-bearing means and as such are limited in the amount of weight they can support due to their propensity to rotate as a hinge when a sufficient load bears on them that exceeds the coefficient of friction established by the hinge means. While this feature is advantageous in that the baskets may assume various configurations, the need to have numerous hinge means and articulating members limits each basket's load bearing capacity in certain configurations.
It would be advantageous to provide a container that is quickly collapsible to a substantially flat position, aesthetically pleasing, of lightweight construction and that has a load bearing capacity suitable for holding relatively heavy decorative objects such as potted plants or the like.